Well-head seal



Een E@ E948. A. J. PENHCK 29458l I WELL HEAD SEAL Filed Nov. 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. J. PENICK WELL HEAD SEAL Dec. M, w48.

Filed. Nov. 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet-2 www cgi/Www Patented Dec. 14, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT j OFFICE Arthur J. Perddoio assigner to Oil Center Tool Company,

' ration of Texas Houston, Tex., a corpoof a well head structure.

Theseal is adapted for use in forming a fluid tight seal between the parts of the well head as wellas between the head and pipe therein.

While the type of seal herein described has been specially designed vfor use in well head structures it is also capable of eiiicient use generally to seal between concentric parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seal which includesan assembly of superimposed nested metal rings which in a preferred form thereof, are confined between wear rings.

It is a further object of the invention'to provide an annular seal which includes superimposed metal rings which are substantially, similarly. arched to an apex, in cross-section with the outer and inner margins of the rings defining cylindrical contours. Y MM It is a further oblect'of the invention to provide a seal formed of rings shaped and asssembled, as above described, and which gradually increase in thickness from their apexes"each way outwardly so that there will be provided spaces between the rings to allow the rings to be moved closer together, so that the seal will be expanded upon the application of an endwise compressive force thereto.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, arrangement of parts and use, examples of which are given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of a well head, partly in section, illustrating the invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, vertical, sectional View.

Referring now more particularly to the drawl ings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates a casing' head having one or more outlet ports 2 for the connection of a flow line thereto and above the port said head has an insidev annular downwardly and inwardly tapering seat 3 on which the lower metal wear ring 4 is seated. The upper face of the wear ring 4 tapers upwardly from each side forming the side Between the upper and lower wear rings there is a seal comprising an assembly of nested, superimposed, rings: 8. preferably formed of metal. These rings are arched in cross-section, as shown. Preferably they are arched to an apex and from said apex they gradually increase in thickness, that is in vertical dimension, from'their apexes eachv way outwardly so that they are thicker at theirv margins ythan at their apexes. This provides spaces 9 between the rings and between the lower ring and the lower wear ring 4.

Their margins dene cylindrical contours so that their outer margins seal against the inside of the casing head I and their inner margins seal against the well pipe I0 which is supported by the casing head.

Supported on the upper wear ring Ii there is a slip bowl I I, preferably formed of two vertical sections and whose inner side converges downwardly and inwardly to receive the wedge shapedy slips I2 whose inner sides are toothed and engaged with and support the well pipe It.

The surface casing I3, shown inFigure 1, is supported .by a bradenhead beneath the casing head (not shown) in 'a similar manner as the well pipe I0 is supported from the casing head.

The upper end of the slip bowl has the downwardly and outwardly tapered annular bearing v face I6. The upper end of the casing head is faces 5, 5 which terminate at an apex, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

Spaced above the lower wear ring 4 is the upper wear ring 6 whose upper surface is plane and whose lower face is formed with the downwardly converging side faces l. I.

formed with an external annular flange IS and extending radially through said flange are the lock down bolts Il which have a. threaded connection with the casing head and whose inner ends are cone shaped and bear against the face I4, as clearly shown in- Figure 2. Should a leak develop past the seal beneath, the lock down bolts Il may be screwed inwardly and the slip bowl I I ,thereby forced downwardly increasing the compressive force against the seal and expanding the rings 8 thereof to stop the leak.

The upper end of the pipe ,Ill may be extended above the casing head and into the tubing head I8 mounted thereon. The lower end of the tubing head has an external annular flange I9 which registers with the flange I5 and these flanges may be secured together in an obvious manner ,by bolts (not shown). The facing sides of the flanges I5 and I9 have registering grooves in which the seal ring 2l) is seated.. 4

The lower end of the tubing head has an inside downwardly facing seat 2| against whichA the upper metal wear ring 22 is seated and screwed into the lower end of the tubing head there is a metal gland 23. The upper wear ring 22 and the lower gland 23 form, in effect, an annular groove around the lower end of the tubing head in which a special type of annular seal is seated and which will now be described:

The lower face oi' the upper wear ring 22 is tapered outside and inside to form a downwardly directed annular apex 24 and the upper face of 22 and the intermediate wear ring 26 there is a series of superimposed metal rings 8b similar in shape to the rings 8 but arranged reversely, that is with their apexes downwardly. The outer sides of the intermediate wear rings 28 and 21 have the diverging tapering faces and extending radially through the ilange I9 are the lock down bolts 28 which lhave a threaded connection with the ilange i9 and whose inner ends are cone shaped and bear against the diverging faces of the wear rings 26 and 21. The outer and inner margins oi the rings 6a, 8b denne cylindrical contours and fit against the inside of the tubing head and around the pipe I0, respectively, and form seals therewith. The lock down bolts 28 may .be screwed inwardly and the wear rings 26, 21 forced apart and an endwise compressive thus exerted against the ring assemblies 8a and 8b to cause an expansion thereof and to give a better sealing eieot.

The upper end of the tubing head has an inside upwardly facing seat 29 on which there is seated the lower wear ring 30 shaped substantially similar to the wear ring 4 and fitted through the wear ring 80 there is a tubular gland 8| which is preferably formed of similar sections which are maintained assembled by a ring 32 therearound and seated in an external annular groove therein.

The upper end of the gland has an external annular flange 34 spaced above the wear ring 30 and between them' there is an assembly of superimposed, nested, rings 8c similar to the rings 8 whose outer margins are ln sealing relation with the tubing head and whose inner margins are in sealing relation with the gland 3i. The ilange 34 has an external, annular, downwardly and outwardly tapering face 35 and bolts 36 extended radially through an external annular flange 31 at the upper. end oi the tubing head and have a threaded connection therewith and their inner ends are conical shaped so that when they are screwed inwardly they will force the gland 34 downwardly and apply an endwise compressive force to the seal between the wear ring 36 and the ilange 34 and expand the rings thereof.

The gland-34 has an inside annular upwardly facing shoulder 38 on which the wear ring 88 is mounted. This wear ring is oi' substantially the same shape as the wear ring 4 and mounted on it is a seal composed of the superimposed rings 8d A vided with the vertical openings 44 through which rods 45 extend. The lower ends of these rods are screwed into the upper end of the gland 3| and their upper ends are formed with eyes 46 forming means for lowering the gland assembly into the tubing head. The tubing head also includes a nange 41 which may be bolted into the assembly and extending radially through the flange 41 are the bolts 48 which have threaded connections with the ilange 41 and whose inner ends are conical shaped and bear against an outside outwardly and downwardly tapering face 49 of the flange 48 so that when the bolts 48 are screwed inwardly they will force the gland 42 downwardly and expand the seal formed of the rings 8d. The margins of these rings 8d form seals with the inside wall of the gland 3| and the tubing 4l.

The upper end,y of the tubing head is formed into a tubing hanger 50 to which the upper end of the tubing 4I is connected and whose lower end has an external annular flange 5I which is supported on the flange 41 and whose upper end is formed with an external annular flange for supportinglthe Christmas tree.

Between the flanges 31 and 41 there is an annular seal ring 53 which is seated in registering grooves in said flanges and between the vilanges- 41 and I5l there is an annular seal ring 54 which ls seated in registering grooves in said flanges.

The Ibolts I1, 28, 36 and 4 8 are sealed with their respective flanges. These seals are illustrated as conventional stufllng boxes 55.

The flange i9 is provided with a radially extended duct 56 therethrough whose inner end terminates in the space between the seal ring 28 and the seals around the pipe I0 above and beneath said space. Test fluid may be introduced into said space through the duct 56 to test said seals for leakage.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claim.

What Iclaim is:

In a well head assembly having concentric parts spaced apart, the outer part having an lnside, annular, upwardly facing seat and the inner part having an external annular flange spaced above said seat, a wear ring on the seat, an assembly of superimposed, nested seal rings between the wear ring and flange, said inner .part having an inside, annular, upwardly facing shoulder, a lower wear ring on said shoulder. an upper wear ring spaced above the lower wear ring, an assembly of seal rings between said lower and upper wear rings, an annular gland concentric with the inner part and bearing against the upper wear ring and-means for forcing the inner part and the gland, respectively, against the corresponding seal ring assemblies,

ARTHUR. J. PENICK.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany May 12. 1906 

